Thanks to the results of a Technology Business Management (TBM) Council and KPMG survey conducted among European TBM practitioners at the Council’s inaugural TBM European Summit last June we get an interesting insight into the state of financial stewardship in corporate IT organizations. With the survey respondents coming from a widespread of organizations representing 10 different industry sectors. And differing annual IT spending levels – ranging from less than £20m to over £3bn. It’s an interesting perspective for IT service management (ITSM) pros.
The pressures on IT for better financial stewardship
To lift a quote from the technology business management report:
“A perceived lack of IT transparency and delivered value has led executives to ask some challenging questions.CIOs want to know:
- How do my IT costs and performance compare to my competitors?
- How can I spend less on running the business and more on growing the business?
- How can I drive down service costs without sacrificing quality and stability?
CFOs want to know:
- Why does IT cost so much?
- Where can I get the most value for an incremental investment in IT?
- How can I get data to make informed decisions?
Business leaders want to know:
- Are IT investments aligned with the most strategic business need
- How can I accurately forecast my IT costs?
- What IT investments deliver the most value?”
And why shouldn’t they ask these questions? Each and every year the corporate IT organization spends, or to be more precise “invests”, a significant amount of the business’ money. They deserve to see that it is spent wisely whether this is done via technology business management or another route.
And the survey said…
Remember that these results are from people/organizations that know they need, and are actively seeking, to get better at technology business management (they were at the TBM Council conference after all).
- 90% of companies do not believe their organization is mature yet in terms of TBM.
- Only 20% of respondents say they have effective IT/finance tools to drive the TBM agenda, and only 28% of companies believe they have the right skills to deliver it.
So, while the ambition is there, there is still much to be done by those already focused on improving financial stewardship, let alone those organizations still trying to grasp the nettle.
And, looking at two of the key objectives of TBM – to reduce operating cost and control IT spend, and to ensure that the business understands the value of IT – a quarter (24%) of respondents said that they met both criteria. This separation of successful organizations has allowed KPMG to look at the DNA of those organizations that have succeeded versus those that still have work to do with TBM.
The DNA of a Technology Business Management leader
The survey offered the following picture of successful organizations (in terms of technology business management):
- They are three times more likely to have achieved cost transparency.
Organizations are six times more likely to be TBM leaders when the CIO is in charge of TBM. - Organizations that outsource less than 40% of their IT budgets are three times more likely to be a TBM leader.
- TBM leaders are three times more likely to have effective tooling.
- Organizations that achieve TBM benefits are twice as likely to have the right skills and capabilities as those that don’t.
They are twice as likely to have regular review processes of key technology business management data and drivers. With success attributed to three key things:
- Having visibility of their IT spend and are able to drive insight.
- Ensuring IT costs are accurate and available.
- Articulating the business value of IT.
The report offers greater granularity and advice across all of these areas.
“Organisations are six times more likely to be TBM leaders when the CIO is in charge of TBM”
This surprised me. I guess I’ve seen and heard too many IT horror stories, plus it’s easy to assume that someone from the finance function might be a better fit for what is a financially-intensive discipline. But maybe success is more attributable to the ability to forge change within the organization and particularly within IT?
Whatever the cause, the survey found that two-thirds of organizations with the CIO in charge of technology business management reduced their IT costs. But it’s a team game. Dave Yip, Partner at KPMG, put this nicely by stating that:
“CIOs, CFOs, and business leaders need to work in alliance to balance business, financial, and technology objectives and the bedrock of joint success is transparency from each party.”
So the report is an interesting read, and not just for me as a qualified accountant. If you would like to learn more on what your organization can do to improve its financial stewardship, please download the full report from here.
This blog was originally written for Computer World UK in late 2014. You can check out the original version here.
Stephen Mann
Principal Analyst and Content Director at the ITSM-focused industry analyst firm ITSM.tools. Also an independent IT and IT service management marketing content creator, and a frequent blogger, writer, and presenter on the challenges and opportunities for IT service management professionals.
Previously held positions in IT research and analysis (at IT industry analyst firms Ovum and Forrester and the UK Post Office), IT service management consultancy, enterprise IT service desk and IT service management, IT asset management, innovation and creativity facilitation, project management, finance consultancy, internal audit, and product marketing for a SaaS IT service management technology vendor.
